Opening the border with Greece to Syrian refugees in February achieves little in revisited EU-Turkey migrant negotiations, however presents a win for the Turkish authorities again house, political professional Özgehan Şenyuva wrote in an op-ed for the German Marshall Fund.
The Turkish authorities is aiming to safe domestic victories as a result of any progress with the European Union may be very unlikely for the time being, Şenyuva wrote. “(Opening the border) stokes two necessary points that (Turkish) public opinion is delicate about no matter occasion affiliation: anti-EU and anti-Syrian attitudes.”
Thousands gathered on the border after Turkish authorities mentioned in February they’d not cease migrants making an attempt to get to Europe. Turkey mentioned the European Union had failed to preserve to pledges it made in a refugee deal signed in 2016, which promised Turkey billions of euros in monetary support in return for curbing the circulate of migrants to Europe.
Şenyuva identified that Turkish public opinion polls confirmed anti-Syrian sentiments throughout occasion strains, areas and financial teams. “This is one problem that unites public opinion,” the professional wrote.
The ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) losses within the 2019 native elections have been probably attributable to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan avoidance of anti-refugee rhetoric for years, Şenyuva wrote.
Since then, the federal government has been beneath super strain from AKP senior officers “to present that the state of affairs is beneath management and that refugees will ultimately be returned to Syria,” he mentioned.
On high of taking a more durable stance on refugees, Erdoğan had on a number of events threatened to open the border for Syrian refugees to flood the European Union.
The authorities’s transfer in February was a main turning level in Turkish-EU relations, bringing the 2016 refugee deal to be revisited again on the desk, Şenyuva wrote.
“However, the negotiations won’t be simple, as each side have low belief in the direction of one another. Neither appears to have learnt from the error of linking the refugee state of affairs to wider Turkish-EU relations, and particularly to Turkey’s bid for membership.”
Turkey has little to achieve from renegotiations with the European Union, Şenyuva wrote, as relaunching membership negotiations or visa-free journey for Turkish residents is slightly unlikely.
“Turkish-EU relations are in an deadlock with little progress in sight
